Champagne says Meng ruling shows independence of Canada's extradition process | CBC News

Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne said today that the B.C.

Supreme Court's ruling in the case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou demonstrates the independence of Canada's extradition process.

"The Canadian judiciary operates independently and today's decision on double criminality in Meng Wanzhou's extradition process was an independent decision," Champagne said.

The Government of Canada will continue to be transparent about the extradition process for Ms.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Ottawa said China "expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this decision," adding it has made "serious representations with Canada.".

Despite a ruling that has angered Communist leaders in Beijing — Meng's father, the founder of tech company Huawei, has close ties to the regime — Champagne said Canada will "continue to pursue principled engagement with China to address our bilateral differences and to cooperate in areas of mutual interest.".

Champagne said Canada will press for the release of two imprisoned Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, and clemency for Canadians who are facing the death penalty in China. Kovrig and Spavor were detained by Chinese authorities shortly after Meng's arrest, a move widely seen as an act of retaliation.

The publication claimed the decision by Justice Heather Holmes "shows Canada lost judicial, diplomatic independence to U.S.

"A further hearing will take place at a later date to determine whether or not the alleged conduct provides sufficient evidence of the offence of fraud to meet the test for committal under the Extradition Act," the Department of Justice said in a statement.

This speaks to the independence of Canada's extradition process.".

If that judge decides that Meng should be extradited to the U.S., the final decision to surrender the Chinese executive to the U.S.

The ruling will make the bilateral relationship "worse than ever," He Weiwen, a former senior trade official and an executive council member of the China Society for World Trade Organization Studies, told the Chinese newspaper.